The present invention relates to valves and particularly to a valve handle which can selectively lock the valve in open or closed positions with a locking slide.
Valves, and particularly ball valves, typically have stops for controlling the handle between fully open and fully closed positions while still allowing intermediate positions, if desired. In most applications, the valve is left in one of a fully open or fully closed position. In most installations, it is undesirable to inadvertently change the selected fully open or fully closed position. Prevention of inadvertent movement of the valve can be accomplished in a number of ways, including, for example, valve handle locks, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,135; 5,785,074; and D 358,455, in which locking rings or tabs are positioned to engage a valve handle and include apertures which permit a lock, such as a padlock, to be inserted between the locking member and the handle to prevent tampering with the valve when in a selected position. Allowed US Patent Publication No. 2015/0101684 entitled VALVE HANDLE LOCK, filed on Oct. 3, 2014, discloses yet another valve lock which provides the additional feature of allowing the valve to be held in a fixed position without locking or to prevent inadvertent motion of the valve. It also allows a padlock to be inserted to prevent tampering with the valve.
Some valves employed in connection with pipe systems carrying hot or cold fluids are insulated and, to accommodate the insulation, cylindrical extensions between the valve handle and the valve body are employed. An example of such a valve is a ball valve which has been sold for many years by NIBCO Inc. of Elkhart, Ind., under the trademark NIB-SEAL®. Due to the unique construction of such valves, they pose a significantly more difficult challenge in order to provide locking mechanisms without interfering with the insulated valve body and pipes to which the valves are connected.